


flightless bird

by Xamem



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Decisions, Bad Parenting, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Internal Conflict, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 07:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20560607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xamem/pseuds/Xamem
Summary: Helena visits the witch with a difficult decision she's determined to go through with.





	flightless bird

Two little doves perch near the front door. For as long as he can remember, the doves have been there in the morning, without fail. They watch as Helena begins her farm work, they watch as Elliott sits and reads in the breeze. They are never far away, and while Elliott doesn’t understand why, they give him a warm comfort.

Today he watches as their children hop amongst the crops, following Helena as she feeds the chickens, milks the cows, waters the tulips. It still astonishes him every morning how beautiful and strong the woman he married is, that she singlehandedly created this farm from nothing but weedy soil and dilapidated buildings.

“Ernest! Mavis!” he calls, knowing Helena will be thankful for the reprieve. The goats can get particularly testy when being milked, and while he’s never been good at it, he knows how to distract the children. “Come inside and help me with the cooking.” The children immediately abandon the goat, knowing that when Elliott talks about cooking, he usually just means cookies. He always lets them lick the spoon.

Helena shoots him a grateful look. Elliott loves the kids, but they often get in the way of the work she loves. Whatever they’re cooking will keep the kids occupied until naptime.

When Helena finally returns inside, dirt caked under her fingernails, she’s greeted with the aroma of snickerdoodles. They are her favorite and Ernest’s as well; Elliott and Mavis both prefer chocolate-chip. Elliott gives her a quick kiss and offers her a bowl of clam chowder, their leftovers from the night before.

“What’s wrong, my love?” Elliott asks. Helena starts from muddled path her thoughts were taking. “You seem struck silent today, more so than usual. Are you unwell?”

“No, nothing’s wrong,” she says, shaking her head and offering a weak smile. “Just a little tired from the sun. These cookies are delicious,” she adds, and it’s true. Elliott cannot cook to save his life, but baking was a talent of his they discovered early on in their marriage.

“I’m going to the forest,” she says, throwing the statement over her shoulder in an attempt to be casual. She’s sure that Elliott can see right through her, waits for him to stop her, but he doesn’t.

“Be careful!” he calls out, then dissolves into laughter as the kids tackle him, begging him to play pirates. Helena watches from the doorway for a moment, trying to preserve the scene in her mind, and then she’s gone.

* * *

The forest is dark and deep, and Helena appreciates the reprieve from the sun, the dirt, the noise of her farm. All she hears are the squirrels skittering up the trees and the small birds chirping from the branches. The path is overgrown, with few signs of a human presence. Helena loses herself more than once. She nearly loses her nerve and turns back when she finally stumbles into the cave that leads to the Witch’s Swamp.

As far as Helena is aware, nobody but Rasmodius knows about the Witch’s Swamp. She’s never seen anybody else this deep in the Valley, and she’s never even heard whispers of rumors of the witch. But she knows. She’s gone on several errands for Rasmodius to the swamp before.

Not today. Today is for herself. She takes a deep breath to steel herself and knocks on the moss-covered door. A soft voice beckons her to come in.

Helena isn’t sure what Selene, the witch, looks like. She’s not even sure that Selene is her true name, but she’ll take her word for it. Selene wears a broad-rimmed hat that covers her face, and the little glances Helene gets don’t tell her much, as they seem to constantly contradict each other. In the darkness, her skin will be green, in the sun, nearly translucent. It’s impossible to tell what her real appearance is.

“What brings you to my humble hut this afternoon?” Selene asks. She mixes some concoction in her caldron that hisses and smells like mayonnaise, deep black with flexes of red. Satisfied with whatever she’s mixing, she comes to sit across from Helene at her little table. “It’s been several years since you lasted visited me. I hope all is well.” Her brow darkens, though of course Helena can’t see this.

Helena pushes a heavy bag across the table in answer. Selene glances at it, then back up at her, eyes glowing like rubies. “Are you sure?” Her voice is carefully neutral.

“I can’t do it anymore. I thought I was stronger, I…” She takes a deep breath. She will not cry here. She hardly cries in front of Elliott; she refuses to allow the witch to witness her weakness. She’s here for a business transaction, that’s all. “This is the only way.”

Selene taps the table. Her unnaturally long, glittery fingernails give off a sharp clacking sound. It makes Helena’s skin crawl.

“Not the only way,” Selene comments. “If I recall correctly, this was your second chance. Shame to think you’re giving up so soon. That you wasted it.”

“I didn’t _waste _it!” Helena snaps. “And it’s not so soon. It’s been years. I was wrong.” She wants to leave right now. She doesn’t need her choices questioned like this. Last time the witch took her payment, explained what would happened, and left it at that. “Please,” she whispers. “I need this.”

Selene considers her, tilting her head to the side. Her eyes are sapphires now, her skin a dull grey. Something in her gaze softens.

“This is the last time I’ll do this for you.” It is more of a warning than a statement. Helena doesn’t want to know what would happen if she asked for another favor.

“You won’t need to.” Selene opens the bag and checks the contents, seemingly bored now. “He… He won’t remember, will he?” This is crucial. He can’t remember. She can live with the guilt, but not if he has to look at her every day, knowing what she did.

“He didn’t last time, and he won’t again. Nobody will but yourself.” This is her punishment, but to her it is worth it. Helena nods.

Selene doesn’t say anything, instead taking the precious shards and throwing them in a separate caldron. It only takes a few moments until she has some concoction that she hands Helena to drink.

She downs it in one gulp, nearly gagging it up. The atrocious thing somehow manages to be both bitter and sour, burning her throat as it goes down. Selene watches, unblinking.

“I hope you’re happy with your choice,” she says as Helena goes. She doesn’t look back.

* * *

Elliott is reading a story for Ernest and Mavis before bed. He needs glasses to read now, and the two of them put up much more resistance, but their love for his stories has remained the same.

“Once upon a time, there was a princess,” he starts. Ernest and Mavis are both snuggled up to him, although Ernest – the older one – is getting a bit heavy.

“Why a princess?” Ernest whines. “It was a princess last time.”

Elliott ruffles Ernest’s hair, jet-black and feather-soft like his mother’s. “Because I said so. You can start the story next time, okay?” Ernest nods, already yawning, his eyes drooping.

“And this princess lived… on a farm!”

“_We _live on a farm,” Mavis whispers, eyes wide. Elliott grins and lands a quick kiss on her forehead.

“Yes, pumpkin, we do live on a farm. Actually, you and this princess are a lot alike…”

Even with her attention fully focused on Elliott, Mavis is unable to stay awake long, and is soon slumped over, her head resting on Elliott’s chest. Ernest is also deep asleep, snoring softly, though he is sprawled out at the end of the bed. Satisfied that they aren’t going to wake up anytime soon, he gently lifts them and tucks them into their respective beds.

“Goodnight, my darlings,” he whispers, switching off the light. His own head has begun to pound, the colors of the room swirling together.

_I just need to rest, _he thinks to himself, and goes to do just that, sinking into a blissful, dreamless stupor.

Helena, feeling like she’s trespassing, quietly slips into bed when she gets back.

* * *

As usual, Helena is the first to rise in the morning. She cherishes these moments to herself, the minutes before daylight begins to peak through where she can sip her coffee – black – and watch the world wake up. Such is the case today as she watches the bees lazily make their way to the buds, as her pigs begin to search for truffles. Soon Elliott joins her. She feels a sharp pain in her stomach – soon enough, she’ll know if her visit to the witch was worth it.

“Good morning, my flower,” he says, voice still husky from sleep. “Anything for me?”

“There’s tea in mug for you. Any big plans today?”

Elliott shrugs, returning with a steaming cup of green tea, a little bit of honey drizzled in. “I suppose I’ll help with the farm chores. Then I may walk to the beach, work on some writing. We have it all to ourselves, don’t we?”

His smile breaks her heart, and she doesn’t know why. So he doesn’t remember. So the silence from the back of the house means it had to have worked. So why does she feel so empty? She thought the newfound quiet would bring peace. Why does she feel so empty?

_It was the right choice, _she reminds herself. _You couldn’t be what they needed_. She tries to let that settle the issue and goes to collect the truffles. If she focuses on the hard labor of the farm, she’ll forget soon enough. The pain will fade, and life will return to normal.

Four little doves are perched high above, watching.

**Author's Note:**

> two works? in TWO days? WILD. something hit me with the dove image and i was like, hm, i kind of want to write about a farmer actually turning their children into doves because that's kind of messed up!!! i wanted to try something a little angsty, a little more somber, and explore the darker side of stardew. i hope you enjoyed it. :)
> 
> i love comments, and feel free to hit me up on my tumblr @petalbrooke!


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